Southern Vegetarian Black-Eyed Peas Recipe - HalfPastHungry (2024)

This Southern Vegetarian Black-Eyed Peas Recipe is a hearty and soulful dish. It’s southern flavored black eyed peas without the meat. Enjoy this classic dish on New Year’s Day to bring you good luck throughout the year.

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Ever since I can remember, black-eyed peas and collard greens were an important tradition for dinner on New Year’s Day in my family. Not only are they a soulful and comforting dish, but it’s also believed to bring good luck and prosperity in the New Year. You can cook these stovetop black-eyed peas the night before or on New Year's Day to bring some good luck into your New Year.

This quick and easy recipe is made with canned black-eyed peas and is perfectly seasoned, making this a warm and comforting side dish that’s made in under 30 minutes. Since this recipe is made without meat, this vegan black eyed pea recipe is cooked in liquid smoke and seasoned with smoked paprika to give the peas a nice smoky flavor, just like they'd have when cooked using a traditional ham hock. And if that isn’t enough, one other seasoning for black-eyed peas used in this recipe are jalapenos, for an extra spicy flavor.

What are Black Eyed Peas?

Black eyed peas are native to Africa. They are a medium sized bean and are in the family of cowpeas. Both beans and peas are a type of legume. They are tan beans with a black dot, “an eye”, in the center. Black eyed peas are soft and taste nutty and earthy. Although they’re small, they’re nutrient-dense and packed with potassium, iron, protein, and fiber in each serving.

Black folks southern black eyed peas are often added to soups and stews. They’re typically flavored with smoky or spicy seasonings which makes these flavorful beans the perfect New Year’s Day dish to add to your tradition.

Why Do We Eat Black-eyed Peas on New Year’s Day?

My mom always said the more black-eyed peas and collard greens you ate on New Year’s Day, the more money or luck you would have during that year.

Southern superstition says that eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day will bless you with good luck for the New Year. Southern superstition also says you should eat the black-eyed peas with collard greens, which represent financial prosperity for the New Year.

The black eyed peas stew and collard greens are often paired with a side of cornbread, which the color represents gold. There’s nothing like soaking up the juice from the peas or greens with a hunk of buttery cornbread.

Equipment You’ll Need

• Medium sized pot - to cook the black-eyed peas in
• Large Spoon - for stirring the ingredients
• Measuring Utensils - to measure out the seasonings

Ingredients You’ll Need

You only need a few simple ingredients to make this southern vegan black-eyed peas recipe. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Olive Oil - I love using olive oil when cooking. You can also use avocado as a substitute.
• Onion - either white or yellow onions works great in this recipe.
• Bell pepper - this recipe uses a mixture of red bell pepper and green bell pepper
• Garlic - adds great flavor to this dish
• Black eyed peas - to make this recipe quick and easy, canned black eyed peas are used for this recipe. You can use dried black eyed peas however allow extra time (at least 6 hours) for the black eyed peas to soak prior to cooking.
• Vegetable broth - I use vegetable broth in almost all of my recipes where broth is needed. Feel free to use your favorite broth instead.
• Jalapeño - This ingredient is optional, however, if you prefer things a little on the spicy side, it’s a must-have. You can also substitute it with red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, hot sauce or simply omit it all together for less heat.
• Liquid smoke - since these vegetarian black-eyed peas do not have any meat, it uses liquid smoke as a seasoning to add in a smoky flavor that you would typically get from the meats.
• Seasonings - Some of the seasoning for black eyed peas in this recipe are smoked paprika, sea salt and ground black pepper. You’ll also get some flavor from the liquid smoke and the jalapeno also used. Additional seasonings you may like is adding in some cayenne pepper for extra spice or a bay leaf for added flavor.

How to Cook Black Eyed Peas without Soaking

Since this recipe uses canned black eyed peas, you’ll be cooking them on the stove and they’ll be ready in less than 30 minutes. Here’s how:

1. Drain and rinse the canned black eyed peas and set aside.
2. Place a medium sized pot with olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the diced onions and sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender and almost translucent.
3. Toss in the bell pepper and minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute or until tender and fragrant.
4. Add all the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Turn the heat up to medium-high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot with a lid. Let the black eyed peas cook for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you notice there's too much liquid you can remove the lid to allow some of the liquid to evaporate.
5. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. You can add more paprika and/or liquid smoke for smokiness or salt and pepper to taste.

How are Black-eyed Peas Served?

You can serve the vegetarian black eyed peas on their own. Personally, I like to eat them on top of some white rice. Sometimes I’ll make some cornbread to pair along with it. Black-eyed peas are most popular for being served along with collard greens on New Year's Day.

Storage and Reheat

• The leftover vegan black eyed peas can be stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
• If you wish to freeze them for later use, let them cool to room temperature before placing them in a freezer friendly air-tight container and placing them in the freezer for up to 1 month.
• To reheat, let them thaw overnight in the fridge. When you’re ready to eat them, add them to a pot on medium-low heat or in a microwave, until warmed. You may add more vegetable broth if needed.

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